A sanitary landfill compaction vehicle typically operates over and must compact all forms and types of refuse which may be delivered to the site for such disposal. A preferred type of vehicle for that purpose is shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,891,341 and 4,193,468 by the present inventor and others. The wheels of the vehicle comprise large totally closed drums with cleats and the vehicle chassis is also totally closed to prevent the intrusion of refuse. However, several items continue to present some difficulty. Bedsprings are one such item or type of refuse. If caught by a cleat, the bedspring is generally pulled up into and dragged around the wheel well. On occasion, however, the bedspring may become caught on some part of the housing and remain lodged in the wheel well. The springs are, of course, of a relatively hard spring steel and considerably harder than the weldable steel plate of which the wheels and housing are made. The springs quickly become a multiplicity of very effective lathe cutting tools which severely score or groove the wheel such that its replacement becomes a necessity.
Stranded steel cables of some length also may become wound around the axle housing and may halt the vehicle. However, mounting the wheel so that it is closely spaced from the inner wall of the well does not solve this problem, because the cable is then readily guided by the inner wall referred to and into the clearance which must be allowed between the wheel periphery and the wall. A clearance, such as referred to, is required because some degree of cushioning is required between the wheel or axle housing and the vehicle frame including its housing, even though such cushioning is of extraordinary stiffness.
The present invention substantially overcomes the described difficulties with cables and appears to have eliminated the bedspring problem, as well as similar problems with other forms of refuse.